Advertising display device



Filed Sept. 9, 1950 mmvrm Patented Aug. 19, 1952 ADVERTISI G DISPLAYDEVICE wmiani Melish Harris, Greenwich, cal

..This invention. relates to advertising .display devices and moregparticularly to those adapted foruuse in .stores or other business places and which are. mounted on andform a soecalled superstructure for refrigerating cabinets such asare employed for containing frozen food products or other frozen commodities.

object of the invention is to provide a displaydevice' ofthe above character, adapted .to charigeablyholai pictures orpictorial representations, preferably. colored andsuitably illuminated, of the various goods .contained. in the cabinet upon whichthe .display.device is mounted, to thus appetizingly .and attractively display the goodsand invite the. purchase thereof. It is an-v other'object of the invention: to provide means by .which the pictorial representations gcarried by thedisplay device may. be .readily changed or shifted in position or arranged in suitable juxtaposition to. pricezcards or signs which may also be changeably carriedby. the display device.

Itis still another object of the inventionuto provide a. display device .of this character which can be easily and economically. fabricated,,which can be. maintained clean and sanitary in appearance; which can be readily adapted to refrigerating cabinets or. othercontainers of various styles and which will present an attractive and cleancut appearance. a i

More particularly, the invention contemplates the provision ofa hollow, interiorly illuminated housin preferably and to a major. extent, composed of a shell'of translucent plastic sheet material. Said shell carries on its outer face, and attached thereto by adhesion or other means herein described, colored transparencies showing the goods advertised.

The invention also. contemplates the provision of novel means by which the'illustrations may be held in place on the other face of the shell, and the shell readily mountedon a cabinetor other support.

-With the above, and other objects to be hereinafter set-forth, in view, I haveQdevised theparticular arrangement of "parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an advertising display device constructed in accordance with the invention. and with a portion of the translucent plastic shell broken away to disclose construction.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the Application September 9, 1950, Serial No. 184,033

' i ,zlo a'ia s. (01. 40-132 shell, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged, sectional view of a portion of the shell and one of the picture-retaining strips. Figgishowsa modification. 4 Referring to the drawing, l indicates the shell of the display device. The shell is preferably composed of plastic material of translucent nature and the same maybe made in various shapes and sizes to enableit tobe accommodated to various ty-pes of refrigeratora; cabinets, counters or other supports on which it may be mounted to advertise goodsi or to displayv pictorial representations of the goods constituting the contents of. "the refrigerator or other cabinet on which it maybe mounted. Inthe form shown, the shell I is of concave-convexformation and is provided along its top and side edges with an outwardly bent integral flange 2 which t k s, under a bent-- over flange 3v provided onthe edges of aback plate or rear closure member; that fits;over;an d normally closes-the open back of the shell l and carries the interior lighting equipment to be described. j i. 5 When the shell is fitted on top ,Of a refrigerator or other-cabinet, such as a frozen food cabinet for exampleto form a superstructure therefor,-a sealing gasket 5 of rubber or other material of similar characteristics may be used between the lower edge of the shell I and thetop of the cabinet. I l

The housing thus formed of the shell I and its rear closure plated, is interiorly illuminated by means of suitabl lighting equipment, such as the fluorescent lamps shownv at 1- and 9 whichhal e their sockets supported by the brackets 6 and J0 mounted on and carriedby the. backplatehas clearly shown in Fig. 1. Brackets ,6 maralso be employed for the support of a lamp -start er, ,8 and the ballast l 3 for the lamps'may also bemounted on the plate 4. g

The-;m0unting for the shell and its attached back plate 4 may be hadinvarious waysaccording to its position andarrangement onthe cabinet or other support on which it is to be carried. Forattachment to the top portion. of a frozen food cabinet, legs l4 may be, employed, the samebeing in the form of channel-shaped members, attached by the bolts 20 or other fastening means to the plate 4; said legs have portions I 5 projecting below the shell, and said projecting portions are provided with mounting holes 2! through which screws or other fastening elements may be passed to attach the device to a cabinet. Spacers l6 are also employed at the lower portions of the legs I4 to facilitate the proper positioning of the device on a cabinet.

such material to the outer surface of the shell.

This may be done by providing the; illustrations to be affixed, with a pressure-sensitive adhesive on their backs so that they can be affixed to the face of the shell by merely pressing them.

firmly against the same. They can also be affixed by the use of pressure-sensitive tape such as the transparent kind commercially known as Scotch tape. If such illustrations are inthe form of colored transparencies, the light penetrating through the plastic shell and throughthepictures applied thereto, will provide veryattractive effects and will help immeasureably in selling the pictured'goods.

The pictures or other advertising matter can be carried by the shell l in another way as illustrated in the drawing; li herein, spaced retaining strips ll of plastic material, and preferably of material of wholly transparent nature, are shown applied to'the outer surface of the shell 1 so that these strips-form supports or confining members for pictures, signsor other illustrative matter, such as indicated-in dotted lines in Fig. 1 at i 9. To enable these retaining strips. H to stand off from the' front surface of the shell I and provide space behind them for the edgesof the pictures l9, portions of the shell I are distorted outwardlyas shown at -l 8, thus forming longitudinally extending. spaced ribs on the outer surface of the shell and to which the strips 11, which are wider than such ribs, are adhesively attached.

With the described arrangement, pictures, illustrations, advertising matter or the like may be readily inserted between the strips H: and confined in place thereby and heldflatly against the surface of the shell I. The maintenance of the pictures in position by the strips permits the-pictures to be readily changed around or removed and replaced with others whenever desired. The strips 11, being of transparent'nature, are nearly invisible, particularly when illuminated from the rear, and thus the entire area of anycardorpicture retained by themwill' beexposed and no-portion of it-ob'scured'. r a

When a-shell' of translucent nature is: illuminated from the interior as above described, uniform light over the entire area ofjth'e shell will result; and when transparencies are provided on the outer face of the shell, the lightpenetrati-ng through the same will provide very attractive efiects. The -cha-ngeability of the pictures and advertising matter and the simplicity with which such material may be affixed, shifted or-removed; enables the storekeeper to easily-and frequently 4 change his illustrations and signs without disturbing the superstructure on its support.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 4, the ribs produced by the outwardly distorted portions l8 are eliminated and the strips therein shown at 23 are transversely shaped to provide one or more recesses 24 behind them to thus produce supporting shoulders for the edges of the pictures. r I

While I have herein described. one Iembodiment of the invention, itis obvious that'the same is. not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope. of theannexed claims.

What I claim is:

l. A display unit for refrigerating cabinets, comprising a; flat. metallic plate resting on its lower edge and extending vertically upwardly from thetop of a refrigerating cabinet, a translucent plastic shell having an open back defined by aflangeattachedto the. marginabedgeof. the plate. to thereby cause said plate to close-the. back of the shell, the; shell havingan operrbottom resting on the topv of the refrigeratingcabinet, legs. attached to. the plate and. having-portions extending downwardbehindthe refrigerate ing cabinet for. attachment to. the, back .of the cabinet, the plastic. shell: being formed to. provide a closed top,,front.and sidesof alamp. enclosure, lamps attached to the; platewithin the. shell for the projection of. light. through. the shell.v and means. on. the: outside. of. theshell; for, .removablil attaching advertising matter thereto. 4

2. A display unit. for refrigerating. cabinets; comprising a .flatmetal plate extending vertically upward from the top. of a; refrigerating; cabinet,

a translucent plastic shell having anope'nback',

shape: to provide a. closed top, front. and sides,

of a lamp enclosure, lightingi meansi attached to the plate within the-shell for the projection of light through the shell, and. meanssmrthe.

shell for attaching advertising, matterthereto for the illumination of; said: advertising: jmatterqby thelighting means. within the shell.

WILLIAM. MELISH HARRIS;

BEFERENGES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: I

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 7 Date.-

.--.f":-.-.-..- 1,801,689 Morgan Apr. 21,.1931 2,237,355

9 2339343 Rumba-ugh; Apr. 22,.1941 ,2 1,6 

